By Helen Brown
  – No Devolucion – Thursday |
Nowadays, the word ‘genre’ can be the kiss of death for a band. Unless they do something phenomenal and memorable with their music, they run the risk of falling into a certain category and being lost among the throngs of other musicians doing the exact same thing. Case in point: Thursday’s sixth release, No Devolucion. This New Jersey-based outfit have created an album loaded with screamo American rock and impressive lead vocals, projecting a dark and broody atmosphere. Unfortunately, this effort is not ground-breaking and we have heard it all before. Licks of fuzzed-out guitar with sporadic psychedelic notes on No Devolución offer something else to the typical screamo mould, but it is not quite different enough to redeem the album. The tracks are |
primarily average with hardly any substance, in some cases comparable to an emo church choir if such a thing existed.
One example is the track ‘Open Quotes,’ consisting of a mellow introduction with acoustic guitar and soft piano notes. This is but a brief reprieve from the hardcore onslaught of the rest of the song, with strong drumming and an ever-changing tempo that comes to a sudden halt at the end. The track is about someone sorting through their emotions, and trying to survive and find their place in a dark world, once again very similar to what we have all heard before.
Continue reading Thursday – ‘No Devolución’ – Album Review
Celebrated actor and director turned musician Tim Robbins, touring Australia on the back of his debut CD with the Rogues Gallery Band, brought a mixture of blues, country and a dash of sing-a-long to the Jambalaya tent on Saturday. Robbins, on guitar and vocals, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself, rumbling through Folsom Prison Blues before festival superstar and all-round maestro Trombone Shorty joined the Rogues for “Oh Mary Don’t You Weep”. A change of tempo and “Crush On You”, inspired by the young victim of a hate crime, demonstrated a simple approach, buoyed by beautiful instrumentation, as was a gorgeous, measured cover of Tom Waits’ “All The World Is Green”. Featuring the sweet wail and wallow of a musical saw over vocal harmonies, it was easily the high point of their set.
Despite dismal forecasts, the weather held out for music lovers as they descended onto the Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm in Byron Bay, the new site for Australia’s premiere Blues and Roots Music Festival. Now extended to cover six days, campers and eager punters slowly edged their way into the grounds, with staff and volunteers doing their best to ensure that parking, setup and entry was relatively painless. The wet grounds were eclipsed by the buzz of excitement, a busy energy punctuating the usually laidback Byron feel. 
It has apparently been five years in the making, but Gomez frontman Ben Ottewell has finally released his debut solo album Shapes and Shadows. Gomez fans need not worry though, this release shouldn’t be seen as a departure from Ottewell’s main project but instead as an expansion on it. Easily the most recognizable vocalist from the English indie rockers, his unique voice remains the focus here. Ottewell’s vocals are perfect for this classic acoustic soft rock, bordering on folk at times, style. Distinctive and naturally emotional, his voice is a little gritty and rough around the edges but mournful and somber at just the right moments.
Soundwave 2011; A culmination of metal bands from around the globe unite and embark on a tour to end all others as the sun sets on Australia’s summer festival season. One year on, Soundwave organisers have again outdone themselves arranging all aspects of such a high scaled event to ensure all are satisfied with the days experience. 
